The rumors about Apple’s foray into the television business -- with a real TV, not just a set-top box like the current Apple TV -- have us giddy with excitement, credit cards burning holes in our pockets. But what would we push for if we were on the design team?
Adam Benton (kromekat.com) rendered our “vision” for an Apple-made TV in our January 2011 issue’s annual “Fauxtotypes” feature. That feature guessed it would come out around 2012--hmmm…
As excited as I am about the possibilities of an iTV, I probably won’t be able to justify buying one straight away since my current TV works just fine. So, I really hope that Apple will put most of its TV’s features into a revised Apple TV box so I won’t have to miss out on all the fun.
I heard a rumor that Apple was talking to the NFL about getting the Sunday Ticket package. This would be amazing, because as of today the only way to watch out-of-market NFL games is via Sunday Ticket on DirecTV or PlayStation 3. Or at a bar. And as much as I love bars, I don’t want to spend every Sunday morning at one.
More services! Even more than Roku! I want to use Spotify to play music. I want to get my anime fix on Crunchyroll. Is it too much to wish for Amazon Instant Video on an Apple product? And while I’m wishing, I want iOS-style notifications on the Apple TV when someone’s calling or texting me.
No gimmicks like 3D, just a beautifully designed, reasonably priced television in various sizes that will look amazing in my home: that’s what would open my wallet for an iTV. Oh, and an easy-to-use, non-iPhone remote control that I won’t lose — maybe it can make a sound when I press a button on the TV.
I want a la carte subscriptions to channels -- or even just shows -- that right now I can get only on cable. I also want souped-up parental controls that let me set limits on what times of day my kids can watch the iTV, a log of what they’ve viewed, and the ability to add more time from my Mac or iPhone, as a reward for good behavior.
Stangmanv8
February 16, 2012 at 9:31am
I would like the Mac Mini installed or just make it a large screen iMac. It might be difficult to cram all the Mac Mini components into the TV and still make it thin enough for some people. However, you could create a new relaxed home network from the center of peoples homes. iTV can be your home computer and your laptops and iPhones would be peripherals. Most data is sent via home networks and you could even create a personal Cloud. This would eliminate the need for cable. Pull up what ever show you want via the internet. I watch half of my TV that way right now on a 13" MacBook Pro. It would be nice to save up for an iTV to permanently replace the desire for a desktop.
Shredder2600
February 15, 2012 at 4:54pm
Apple should make a game console to compete with Microsoft, Sony, and Nintendo that can also mirror the iPad, iPod Touch and iPhone screen and have the App Store that iOS has.
ilikeimac
February 14, 2012 at 6:37pm
No mention of iChat/Facetime? Too obvious I guess.
Also obvious: Airplay support (and a Mac Airplay client please! AirFlick is pretty good but very crashy.)
I'm curious about how they plan to handle audio; I can't imagine it not having ports for external speakers (surround sound) but it would be nice if it supported wireless speakers and had a built-in sound bar that supported surround sound.
